(Dr Inder Jeet)

You have exactly the same number of hours in a day as all successful people. Then, how come you are not one of them?

Do you know how a 70-year life is spent? On an average, 25 years in sleep, 8 in study and education, 6 in rest and illness, 7 in holidays and recreation, 5 in commuting, 4 in eating and 3 years in transition, i.e getting ready to do all the above activities. That leaves only 12 years for effective work.

Charles Schwab, an American millionaire, paid a consultant $25000 in 1936 to advise him how best to spend this precious irretrievable resource. His advise: "Start your day with a 'To Do' list and prioritise the vital few after picking out from the trivial few....An hour's less sleep per day will add five years to your working life."

At the heart of the subject is a simple, but obvious, shift in focus: Concentrate on results, not on being busy. Many people spend their days in a frenzy of activities, but achieve very little because they are not concentrating on the right things. This is neatly summed up in the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule. This states that typically 80% of unfocussed effort generates only 20% of the results, and the remaining 80% results are achieved with only 20% of the effort. By applying time management, including planning, we aim to change this to ensure that we concentrate as much of our effort as possible on the high payoff tasks. Unfortunately, the term 'time management' creates a false impression of what a person is able to do. Time can't be managed, time is uncontrollable, we can mange only ourselves and our use of time. Time management is in fact self management.

With Time Management You Can Learn To:

Determine which of the things are important; use your time in the most effective way; increase the time in which you can work; control the distractions that waste time and break your flow; increase your effectiveness and reduce stress

By being more effective in the use of time, you can reduce stress by:

Being more in control of what you do; being productive and secure in your job; enjoying what you do; giving yourself more quality time to relax and enjoy life

Time Stealers

Some of frequent reasons for reducing effectiveness in workplace are: interruptions (telephone, personal visitors); meetings; perfectionalism; tasks you should have delegated; procrastination; acting with incomplete information; dealing with team members; crisis management; unclear communication; inadequate technical knowledge; unclear objectives; lack of planning; stress and fatigue; inability to say 'No'

Strategies To Manage Time Better

Define Your Objectives Clearly: One of the characteristics of successful people is their ability to workout what they want to achieve and have written goals which they can review constantly.

Analyse Your Use Of Time: Ask yourself always, "What is the most important use of my time right now?" It will help you focus on 'important tasks'.

Have A Plan: Most people know what they want, but have no plan to achieve it except by hard work. Your yearly plan should be reviewed daily and reset as your achievements are met. This should be done for both personal and professional goals.

Action Plan Analysis: Problems will always occur. The value of a good plan is to identify them early and seek out solutions, because 'what you can measure, you can control'. So be proactive.

Remember, you have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louise Pasteur, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci and Albert Einstein.